For the second year in a row, the city of Sandy Springs, in collaboration with Sandy Springs Hospitality/Tourism and the Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber of Commerce, is hosting Sparkle Sandy Springs, a storefront holiday decorating contest.

The contest started earlier this month and runs through mid-December. Judging will take place Dec. 15 and Dec. 16, and the winner will be announced during the city’s Dec. 18 council meeting.

Last year’s winner was Bean Head Toys on Johnson Ferry Road.

“I’ll be decorating again this year,” said Chris Lowe, the store’s owner. “I have an idea in the back of my head, but I have to work it out.”

Lowe said she thought the contest was a great idea.

“Whenever you’ve been to a small town or ski town or something, it just makes that holiday feeling flow,” she said. “We’re trying to be a different kind of city — we have all the amenities of the city, but we can still have that small-town feel.”

So far, only one business — the Wyndham Atlanta Galleria hotel on Powers Ferry Road — has registered for the contest, but city spokeswoman Sharon Kraun said most businesses signed up about a week before judging last year.

CalyRoad Creamery received an honorable mention in the contest in 2011. The store’s owner, Robin Schick, said the creamery would be participating in the contest again this year.

“I think it’s important from a personal standpoint,” she said. “It’s fun. We love decorating. We’re going to do something a little different this year.”

Last year, Schick said the creamery was decorated naturally, with garland and small, cork reindeer.

“The contest is meant to be a fun, light-hearted way to shine extra light on our business community,” Mayor Eva Galambos said in a news release. “Last year, our entrants were able to capture the festive nature of the holiday season. It will be exciting to see the event grow, including more of the retail community.”

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